Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Chapter 68 Family

Victoria

The war room fell silent when I entered, all eyes turning to me expectantly. I straightened my shoulders, ignoring my lingering headache as I shared what I’d discovered.

"They’re at Marcus’s main compound," I concluded. "Alive and unharmed for now. Marcus wants me to come to him—he’s planning some kind of binding ritual during the Dark Moon, ten days from now."

"A binding ritual during the Dark Moon?" Lilith’s voice was uncharacteristically small. "That’s... that’s the old magic. The forbidden kind."

"You know about this?" I asked, surprised.

Lilith nodded reluctantly. "My grandmother used to warn us about it. Forced bonds during the Dark Moon are nearly unbreakable. The Elders outlawed the practice centuries ago after..." She hesitated, glancing at me uncertainly.

"After what?" I pressed.

"After Alphas used it to enslave Forest fairies," she finished quietly. "To steal their power."

The room fell silent as everyone absorbed this information. I felt Leo move closer to me, his presence protective and reassuring. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"So Marcus intends to use this ritual to bind Victoria to him," Carson said finally. "To access her Forest heritage powers."

"Yes," I confirmed. "But he needs time to prepare. That gives us an advantage—we know where they are, and we know his timeline."

Tiny cleared his throat. "The Crimson Claw main compound is a fortress, much more heavily guarded than the mining facility. A direct assault would be costly."

"Then we don’t assault directly," Leo replied. "We use Victoria’s intelligence to find another way in."

"The tunnels," I suggested. "If they connect to the mining facility, they might extend all the way to the main compound. The plants showed me sections of the underground network that didn’t look like modern mining operations—they were older, carved by hand rather than machines."

"Ancient passages," Leo mused. "Possibly dating back to the first settlements in this territory."

Carson was already typing on his tablet. "I’ll overlay historical maps with current geological surveys. If these tunnels exist, we’ll find them."

"What about our fighters?" Garrett asked. "They’ve been searching nonstop for three days. They’re exhausted."

Leo nodded grimly. "We all are. We’ll return to the pack house, rest and regroup. One week of preparation, then we move against Crimson Claw."

"A week?" Lilith burst out, her composure finally cracking. "Enzo could be—"

"Alive," I interrupted firmly, moving to her side. "Marcus wants him alive, Lilith. I saw it, heard it. He won’t harm Enzo before the Dark Moon."

Her eyes, usually so cold and dismissive when looking at me, now shimmered with unshed tears. "How can you be sure?"

I took her hands in mine, ignoring how she stiffened at my touch. "Because Marcus needs me to come willingly. He knows harming Enzo would only enrage me, make me more difficult to control. Trust me, Lilith. I will bring your mate back to you."

Something broke in her then. The facade of the perfect, poised Luna-in-training crumbled, and she collapsed against me, her body wracked with sobs. I held her awkwardly, surprised by her vulnerability.

"I’ve been so awful to you," she choked out between sobs. "Why would you help me? Help him?"

"Because he’s my brother," I said simply. "And because no one deserves what Marcus has planned—not even people who’ve hurt me."

She pulled back, wiping her tears with trembling hands. "I don’t understand you, Victoria Howlthorne."

I gave her a small smile. "That’s okay. You don’t have to understand me to work with me."

Leo stepped forward. "It’s settled then. We return to Shadow Pack tonight, begin preparations immediately. I want round-the-clock training, intelligence gathering, and strategic planning. Victoria," he turned to me, his gaze softening slightly, "you’ll work with Carson on mapping these tunnels and developing your new abilities—safely."

The emphasis on that last word wasn’t lost on me. I nodded, knowing I’d pushed myself too far today.

"Dismissed," Leo ordered. The room quickly emptied, leaving just the two of us.

The moment the door closed, he pulled me into his arms, his face buried in my hair. "You terrified me," he murmured. "Finding you collapsed like that..."

I melted against him, suddenly aware of how drained I felt. "I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how much it would take out of me."

He pulled back, cupping my face in his hands. "Promise me you’ll be more careful. I need you at full strength for what’s coming."

"This is exactly what I needed," I admitted between bites. "Thank you, Rosa."

She smiled, patting my hand. "This is what family does, querida. We take care of each other."

The simple statement brought unexpected tears to my eyes. Family. For so long, I’d been without one—but here, in this kitchen with Leo and Rosa, I felt it—that sense of belonging I’d craved my entire life.

Leo noticed my emotional reaction and squeezed my knee gently under the counter. "Rosa’s been part of my family since before I was born," he told me. "She practically raised me after my mother died."

"Someone had to keep this stubborn boy in line," Rosa said fondly. "Though I can’t say I always succeeded. He’s been impossible since the day he learned to walk."

"I was a perfect child," Leo protested with mock indignation.

Rosa snorted. "Perfect at finding trouble, perhaps." She turned to me, eyes twinkling. "Did he tell you about the time he decided to track a bear through the northern woods? Twelve years old and convinced he could take down a full-grown grizzly all by himself."

I laughed, delighted by this glimpse into Leo’s childhood. "No, he conveniently left that story out."

"Because it’s embarrassing," Leo grumbled, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "The bear chased me up a tree and kept me there for six hours."

"Tiny had to come rescue him," Rosa added gleefully. "Found him clinging to the highest branches, too scared to shift and jump down."

"I wasn’t scared," Leo insisted. "I was being strategic."

"Strategically terrified," Rosa countered, making me laugh harder.

The easy banter continued through dinner, Rosa sharing embarrassing stories of Leo’s youth while he pretended to be mortified. With each tale, I felt the weight of the day’s discoveries lighten, replaced by the simple joy of being with people who cared for me.

After we’d eaten our fill, Rosa shooed us upstairs. "Go, rest. You both look dead on your feet."

Leo took my hand, leading me toward the master suite. Once inside, he closed the door and leaned against it, his eyes darkening as they roamed over me.

"Shower first," he said, his voice dropping to that low register that never failed to send shivers down my spine.